Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-01-06
CEREAL PRODUCTS.
The Wide Worlds Crops
of Corn and Wheat.
An EXHAUSTIVE EXHIBIT.
Yhs Gigantic Growth OF the Ce-
real Industry in the United
States Shown Up.
ls.osisted Press pispatches.l

WASHINGTON, January 3.-Senator
Aidrich, chairman Of the Senate COM
nittee ON transportation routes to the
aseboard. authorizes the publication of
the report of that committee on the
.ubie,t of railroad freights in the United
atates and other countries, the study OF
which for the purpose of settling certain
suestions pertaining to Interstate COM
usrcs has long been in progress by his
sonmittee. The appointment OF the
Senate committee upon interstate COM
spsrce somewhat modifies the work or.
iGinally mapped out by the committee
q transportation routes to the seaboard,
sad that committee decided not to take
testimony - it was authorized to do,
bat to conduct special line Of inquiry,
to ascertain, il possible. the relative
progress of the various grain producing
counties. The complete report makes
500 pages of printed matter and contains
many valuable tables aud much intor-
nation ON the subject Of transportation
gathered from nearly every country in
she world.
The first table presented indicates the
progress of the United States for q gen.
Grafton. Thirty.three years ago we
uroduced 100 600, 600 bushels of wheat
and about 600, OOO, 600 bushels of corn.
Twice in recent years we have reached
SOC. OOO. 600 bushels Of wheat, and in
1885 the corn crop reached ], 500, 600. .OOo-
= five.fold increase in wheat and three.
fold increase in corn. The increase in
other cereals has not been SO rapid, nor
arc they regarded by the committee a.
90 important as the increase in wheat and
corn. On the export trade, the commit.
tee saws: "Wheat has READY ranked
first in value, and in tifty-eight years has
added g, 900. 600. 900 to the value OF our
national production, q sum equivalent
to four times the value of exported
corn and corn.neal during the same
peFiod of time. II is shown, also,
chat during the ten years ending with
1883, the average ANNUAL receipts of
cereals of all kinds at these ports have
been in round figures 26O,OOO.OOO
bushels.
An attempt was made by the COM
uittee to ascertain the rates of freight
from the principal interior points. to the
seaboard, and also from interior points
to the principal cities of various States.
Investigation was conducted in the hope
Of ascertaing the facts in regard to the
difference for rates charged for long
hAuls and short hauls and to throw
light upon the vexed question of long
end short haul. In relation to this in
quiry the committee says. ''if the returns
from which above summary is construct.
cd, may be relied on, end the committee
has been careful in selecting only re-
turns that appeared upon their face cor.
rect, the rates charged for local figures
1re evidently levied On the somewhat
general principle Of what the traffic will
bear. In Massa ,husetts, when the
terminals are taken into consideration.
the cost of transporting o bushel OF
vhsat is more nearly equal than in any
State represented in summary. In
Massachusetts,. in 1883, it cost 4.6 cents
to transport bushel of wheat GA miles.
Tho cost in Connections for transporting
the same quantity Of grain 81 miles was
J cents. In Pennsylvania, go miles, 4.
eents, and in Ohio, 60 miles, cents. OF
coarse the conditions may not have been
ths same. Further west we find Kan
sas paying AZ cents per bushel for trans
porting bushel of wheat 60 miles, and
Massachusetts,, for the same service 36
niles, 20 cents, while California pays 3.3
psr bushel for fifty miles. Excellent work
has been done in all that pertains to
through rates but heretofore no attempt
he's been made to collect comparative
statistics Of local rates. A glance at the
shove summary also brings out
the fact that the same gratifying
reduction has not taken place in the
local rate during the years covered by
this inquiry a. in through rates. In
some cases there has been reduction
but in the majority of instances the
rates have remained substantially the
same. Continuing on the subject of
local freights the committee says: In
Massachusetts, rates have steadily de.
elined since 1874 on every road included
in the table. In Wisconsin, Missouri,
Minnesota, Nebraska and California the
same general facts are brought out and
reference to all Of the published tables
in the appendix is necessary in order to
obtain . correct idea of the extent of
this reduction and the roads on which
the reduction has been most satisfactory
Reliable statistics on local rates OF
freight are generally needed, and to aid
in au intelligent understanding of t'.,s
;----rtapt branch of the transr.rtation
-f-s ~sa''oh
question.
Turning from the United States to
foreign countries, the committee shows
the production and consumption OF cere.
ais ia Europe, and brings out the fact
that the increase in population has been
relatively much greater in proportion
in the great grain producing countries
than it has in grain buying countries.
The United Kingdom appears to have
purchased about two-thirds OF all the
wheat of the United States exported
during this period. and. therefore,
special attention has been given to Eng
lands supply of wheat. For this pur.
pose o table was prepared giving sum.
snary of wheat imported into the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
from various countries during the period
of seven years from 1886 to lS42 in
elusive, and the decades from lS43 to
1882 inclusive, showing the total impor-
tations Of wheat and the proportions fur
nished by the United States, Russia,
Germany. British North America, Egypt,
France, Denim ark, and all other coun'
tries.
In commenting on this table the com
nittee says: "a glance at this sum-
mary not only shows the rapidity of the
agricultural growth Of the United States
and its importance as q food exporting
country. but it also presents some OF this
economic changes that have taken place
in Europe. In the first period the
United State supplied LEES that per
can't. Of the wheat imported into the
United Kingdom. The last period 1t
supplied nearly 81 per cent. From less
than !, 900, 900 bushels it increased by a
series Of leaps and bounds to about 49,.
OOO, 900 bushels. Excepting the rapid